Revelations – Part II

by JSL - Proverbs 31 Woman!

Sir Edmund Hillary

MARKED BY MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 15:33

Bible Passage: Proverbs 15

Real Life:
Last Friday broke the news of Sir Edmund Hillary passing away at 88. A man who lived in relative obscurity as a beekeeper in Auckland, New Zealand. But the unprecedented feat of scaling the world's highest mountain brought him a fame he could hardly have imagined. He conquered Mount Everest and the South Pole and captured the world’s imagination. He led expeditions to the South Pole and other remote corners of the earth, but he returned often to the mountains of Nepal, the scene of his greatest triumph. Sir Edmund Hillary dedicated much of his long life to environmental causes and to humanitarian efforts on behalf of the Nepalese people. More than half a century after his most famous feat, his fame remained undimmed. His name has become a byword for courage, endurance and great humility. Read about it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/siredmundhillarytopoftheworld;_ylt=AtFek0ktuEpXUdE0S1XQqutvaA8F

Simon Robinson of TIME magazine wrote about him, and I quote: “Once, while resting on a rock during a short trek in Nepal with friend and film director Michael Dillon, an American walker stopped and showed Hillary how to hold an ice-axe. “Hillary listened and thanked him, but said nothing else,” remembers Dillon. "The American went away without any idea whom he had spoken to. The first man to stand on top of the world didn't see himself as a hero. Others always will.”

I admire this man. The more I read about him, the more I desired of his humility.

I was once full of myself. I was too engrossed with my achievements and fetes in nursing school that I thought I was in control of my life. I determined my days. I decided what I was to do today, tomorrow and a year from now. I became too busy that I forgot what God thought about what I was doing and where I was going. But because God gave me free will, he allowed me to go my own way. And because He cared for me, He had to stop me before I went too far. Maybe this was why He allowed me to fail the local nursing exams.

I found myself destined for God’s appointed “desert” experience where I could humble myself and receive from Him. I was dry, weary and heavily laden. In this “desert” I saw myself as prideful, fearful, and resentful.

I knelt and wept before the feet of Jesus and surrendered and repented of my transgression before His very throne. Then I sensed God’s touch, forgiveness and magnificent restorative grace through these powerful verses:

- He is Able - Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
- Fear not- Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
- He loves me – 1John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

At that point, I knew that the One who allowed that difficulty is the One who loves me more than anyone else does in the whole universe. No, I may not understand the state of affairs, but I know He loves me….. deeply.

Action Step:
Stop. Drop everything. Be still and know that He is God.

Prayer:
My Lord, I only need a flicker in this dark world enough for me to hold on to Your perfect promises. I want to stay close to you in the dark for You are my light of life so I will not stumble or fall. Amen.

Part III coming soon.